Drill-bit sling



Feb. 24, 1925. 1,527,931

w. A. SMITH DRILL BIT SLING 'Filed Dec. 22, .1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 24, 1925.

UNITED STATES.

A 1,527,931 PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. SMITH, or TULSA, OKLAHOMA, ,ASSIGNOR up nose 0. SMITH, or IOLA,

KANSAS.

DRILL-BIT sLme.

Application filed December 22, 1923. Serial No. 682,231.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM. A. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residingat Tulsa, in the county of Tulsa and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drill-Bit Slings; and I do hereby declare. the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertainsto make and use the same.

.Drilling bits as generally employed for boring oil and gas wells are heavy and are awkward and diflicult to handle when sharpening, dressing and tempering, the difficulty being augmented when. the bit is heated. This invention has forits object the provision of means to facilitate the handling of the bit both when sharpening and dressing and when tempering, said means providing for the ready tilting and turning of the bit as required in the several states of handling.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent and suggest themselves as the nature of the invention is understood.

While the drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention it is to be understood that in adapting the same to meet different conditions and requirements, vari ous changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of the application:

Figure 1 is a side view showing the application of the invention, the bit being tilted,

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, the bit being horizontal,

Figure 3 is a front view,

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line H of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view on the line 55 of Figure 3,

Figure 6 is a sectional detail on the line 66 of Figure 3, and

Figure 7 is a sectional detail view on the line 7-7 of Figure4.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and designated in the several views of the drawings by like reference characters.

The sling comprises an endless suspender 1 preferably consisting of a chain and a stirrup 2, the latter being in the form of a metal ring having an outer annular groove 3 which receives the lower bight of the endless suspender 1. A' sheave pulley 1 is disposed in the upper bight of the suspenderl and has a crank handle 5 associated therewith whereby the endless suspender.

1 may be moved to rotate the annular stirrup 2 and the bit 6 carried thereby. One of the flanges bordering upon and forming the annular groove 3 is cut away at diametrically opposite points, as indicated at 7, and the ends of the flange bordering upon the lower portion of the cutaway part 7 are bent laterally to provide hooks 8 which engage side portions of the suspender 1 I and prevent disengagement thereof from the stirrup when the latter is inclined to vertical, as indicated in Figure 1. The numeral 9 designates achain hoist to which the sheave pulley 4: is adapted to be attached, said chain hoist being connected toa traveling crane (not shown) whereby the bit is moved between the forge, the anvil and the tempering tub or vat.

Suitable means are associated with the stirrup for securing the bit 6 thereto and, as shown, slips or wedges 10 are employed and are attached to opposite ends of a U- shaped yoke 11. The.inner faces of said slips or wedges 10 are formed with biting surfaces as shown to grip the bit 6, and have their outer'faces tapered forwardly to engage the inclined faces in stirrup 2 as hereinafter described. Yoke 11 is connected to an operating bell-crank lever 12 attached to the stirrup in any preferred way, as by means of a pivot fastening 13. A stud bolt 14 is attached to the lower portion of the the stirrup 2 and has a fiat head that projects laterally therefrom and receives the pivot 13. The yoke 11 has a slot 15 in which operates a. pin 16 projecting from one of the arms of the lever 12. The end or leg portions 11 of the yoke are parallel and pivoted to posts 17 loosely mounted in the stirrup and yieldingly held in a given position by helical springs 18. The end portions of the yoke are slotted to receive pins 19 by means of which they are connected to the slips or wedges 10. Depressions 20 are formed in the inner wall of the stirrup to receive the wedges 10 and the bottom of these depressions is inclined for the operates a screw 22 or like part to assist. materially in holding the wedge in place,

The springs 18 assist materially in holding the wedges 1n place and provide for a varia-. tion of bits within certain limits. When the Wedges 10 grip the bit, the; pin-16 is to.

one side of a straight line passing through the pivot 13 and axis of the stud bolt 14, or 01f center, thereby holding the lever 12 in operative position.

The stirrup is applied to the bit while the latter is suspended from the drill stem and is adjusted toa central position of the bit and made secure by means of the slips or Wedges 10, or in any preferred way. When the bit is detached from the drill stem, it may be readily handled because of its equ-ipoise and the ready rotation of the stirrup by means of the crank handle 5. The cutaway portions 7 of the flange forming one wall of the annular groove 3 provide for a tilting of the bit towards and away from the perpendicular and when the bit is in horizontal position, it may rest upon-the anvil and bereadily rotated in the operation of dressing. The construction of the stirrupwhich admits of the tilting of the bit toward and from the perpendicular, is advantageous inthe process of tempering, as will be; readily understood and also in the readjustment of the bit to the drill stem.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. A sling for drill bits, the same comprising an endless suspender, and a bit receiving stirrup supported in a bight of the suspender.

2. A sling for drill bits, the same comprising an endlesssuspender, abit receiving 4:. A sling for a drill bit, the same com-v prising anendless suspender, a, rotary stirrup mounted in the. lower bight of the suspender, and means. on the suspender for securing the drill, bit. thereto.

5. A bit sling comprising an. annular stir.-

rup, opposed wedges, a. yoke engaging-the wedges at its ends and pivoted to the stirrup, anda lever for operating the yoke and wedges.

6.. A bit. sling comprising an annular stirrup, opposed wedges, a. yoke engaging the wedges at its ends. and yieldably .COIlllQCtGd.

with the stirrup, and an operating member for the yoke.

7. A bit sling comprising an annular stirrup, opposed wedges, a yoke engaging the. wedges at its ends, posts yieldably mounted on the stirrup and having the yoke pivoted.

thereto, and a lever pivoted to the. stirrup: and having a loose connection with the yoke.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in the. presence of. two witnesses.

WILLIAM. A. SMITH. lVitnesses:

ARTHUR P. MITCHELL, W. H. PEGK. 

